Rating: 
Summary: For XML, buy the advanced book
Review: If you're looking for XML examples and text, buy the advanced book. The same goes for if you're looking for what is arguably the most important new features of ColdFusion...CF components.I've been developing using ASP, ColdFusion, Zope, etc...for the past 3 years. Just recently, my company decided to upgrade from CF 4.5 to CF MX. Naturally, I figured that the advanced book would be the best for me, and it has. I'm not saying that this book isn't what it needs to be; it will be invaluable to helping me instruct the new members that are brought into our development team, and will be informative to me about what new functions (tags) exists, as well as which tags and tag attributes are obsolete or depreciated. I'll probably use this book as a reference ... although it may have a code snipplet or two that I'll like to use as well. I only use four stars here, because:
1. I haven't actually read the book, so five would be presumptuous.
2. From my experience with Ben Forta, you can count on solid information and examples.
3. There does tend to be some misspellings or other miscues in the previous texts. Even the new CF MX advanced book has them. But I guess those *miscues* could be corrected in the online errata. But still.... So, only four stars.
Rating: 
Summary: I can't believe that Forta did it again and let me buy it
Review: Last year I bought Macromedia Coldfusion 5 appliction Development for Ben Forta. I did like the book and I learned a lot from it. So with my order of Coldfusion MX software, I decided to order Coldfsuion MX Application Develpment for Ben Forta. I start reading and soon I am in the end of the book do you know why? because it is almust same as the first one. Even same example. There is chapters where is same on both edition word by word. Yes, there is few things new on coldfuion MX but not worth it. My advice, if you have a book wrote by Ben Forta for Coldfusion 5 then don't buy the new one because you are buying same book but different cover. If it's your first time, then this book will be the one to start. by the way, this is not only the mistake I did, I did buy Coldfusion MX Web Application Construction Kit, and Coldfusion MX Developer Study Guide. They are all same. in fact I did read same paragraph again, and again from different edition of Ben Forta. I will say Ben Forta did it again and I did buy and waste my Money this time.
Rating: 
Summary: Experience Coldfusion MX
Review: So you want to code in Coldfusion hey? Start here. Having had no previous experience in Coldfusion, I picked up this book and was creating user login's, search interfaces, dual purpose insert and update pages in no time. This book covers it all, and a whole lot more. Macromedia goes out of their way to anticipate "What the web can be", and Coldfusion delivers just that. This book by Ben Forta and Nate Weiss takes you step-by-step through a introduction to the Coldfusion environment, and then shows you how to unleash it's power. They instill excellent coding practices and the ultimate use of Coldfusion. Ben Forta makes it look easy, and it is. Together they have compiled an excellent manual/reference on the subject, and if you could have it delivered today, do so.
Rating:
Summary: It is was very easy to get started!
Review: The book is quite easy to read and very easy to follow the examples. You'll find that in a very short time you can develop applications that are useful and the satisfaction from that is immense. I used to work at an e-commerce organisation that used this product and I really despised it, until I read this book and got to "know" a little more about Cold Fusion. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in developing an application, in quick time.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant
Review: There is no point of adding anything else but saying that all you need to know about CF you can find in this book. About previous reviews, I would say that people who mentioned that there are 5 chapters missing are complete IDIOTS since on each chapter page (that is missing) there is a note on the end of that page saying: "The entire text of this chapter can be found on the included CD"... haha I guess they didn't read that part ;)
Rating:
Summary: Great Resource
Review: This book is a great learning tool and resource once you have mastered CF. 5 of the more advanced chapters are available via the CD ROM or a zip file from Forta's web site - which is okay, but I think the chapter on cffile and cfdirectory should have been included in print. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn CF. It meets almost all of your *advanced* needs as well, and for those it doesn't the companion volume Advanced Cold Fusion Application Development does.
A great buy if you are looking to learn CF or if you are looking for a CF reference.
Rating:
Summary: Great Planning/Decision-Making Guide for ColdFusion Dev't
Review: This book is exactly what I needed. After a couple of weeks of stumbling through ColdFusion applying only my background in other programming languages and the Macromedia-supplied reference books, this book has provided me with a real understanding of ColdFusion design principles necessary for effective programming. It's best read chapter-by-chapter, better as a guide to planning and making decisions about development than as a comprehensive reference. For example, the chapter on Development Methodologies provides an overview of Fusebox, but then discusses the pros and cons of this and alternative methodologies. The chapter on Data Validation describes client-side validation, server-side validation, and then explains that good design may entail a combination of both. If you're a book learner, and prefer a self-paced book to an overpriced class, this is a great book, very readable. This in combination with the reference guides packaged with ColdFusion should get you where you need to go.
Rating:
Summary: Great Planning/Decision-Making Guide for ColdFusion Dev't
Review: This book is exactly what I needed. After a couple of weeks of stumbling through ColdFusion applying only my background in other programming languages and the Macromedia-supplied reference books, this book has provided me with a real understanding of ColdFusion design principles necessary for effective programming. It's best read chapter-by-chapter, better as a guide to planning and making decisions about development than as a comprehensive reference. For example, the chapter on Development Methodologies provides an overview of Fusebox, but then discusses the pros and cons of this and alternative methodologies. The chapter on Data Validation describes client-side validation, server-side validation, and then explains that good design may entail a combination of both. If you're a book learner, and prefer a self-paced book to an overpriced class, this is a great book, very readable. This in combination with the reference guides packaged with ColdFusion should get you where you need to go.
Rating: 
Summary: Eh, so so.
Review: This book is full of information. Unfortunatly you can't find any of it quickly. The index is shabby, the layout of the book is designed to read easy but it lacks as a reference utility. Personally I like the oreilly style. Give the tech details, give an example go on. Forta's style is give a glimpse at whats going on, give an example. Give a little bit more of glimpse, give an example. It's quite frustrating for speed learners. I give this book 3 stars, if you have time to sift through endless bs then pick it up. If you're looking for a good book to learn cold fusion fast than go else where.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Book
Review: This is a solid book although much of the coverage seemed to be overlay basic and introductory. I am new to ColdFusion but not to web development and would have appreciated a more focused coverage of ColdFusion with out the tangential coverage of topics that could have been left to other books such as basic SQL book.
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